The 2016 edition of Eesti Laul kicks off this Saturday with the first semi-final. The first act to perform will be Estonian-Australian throwback band 'The Jingles'.

The Jingles’ Eesti Laul entry was born by combining Estonia’s two great loves - the sauna, and music.

“We were jamming in my sauna in Viljandi and made the tune up for fun,” recalled drummer Rauno Vaher.

“It was a pretty catchy tune, so we decided to make a song out of it, and then we went back to the sauna of course!”

The Jingles formed when Vaher called Australian singer and guitarist Jonathan Flack to accompany him to a performance at the Viljandi Folk Festival.

The two felt an instant connection as musicians and decided to form The Jingles together.

The duo performed together for around two years and completed an album together before discovering guitarist Hain Hoppe at a forest party near Pärnu.

“We heard this guy play and it was magical,” remembered Flack.

That is how the three of them came to be in Vaher’s sauna, where they were feeling inspired by what Hoppe referred to as “one of the most gorgeous autumn seasons.”

The newly formed trio then continued to work on the song in repeated jam sessions at the Tallinn hostel that Flack runs.

It wasn’t until Eesti Laul came around that ‘Love a Little Bit’ really emerged.

“Eesti Laul was the catalyst for the song, we had just come together in August and Eesti Laul was coming up, so we decided to record the song,” said Flack.

“The lyrics are all based on reality, on the crazy fights you have with your girlfriend” said Flack.

We play a lot of different styles in The Jingles but the vibe is always the same, it’s one of unity and togetherness on all our stuff”.

They then called on Tanel Liiberg, a man they describe as “the grooviest bassist in Estonia” to complete the line-up.

“I didn’t realise that this was a new song, I just thought it was a nice song” Liiberg said of his first performances of ‘Love a Little Bit’.

When looking at the other participating songs, there was definitely some appreciation for the other participating artists.

Flack expressed a desire to jam with the members of Go Away Bird stating their song was “really cool and very real” while Hoppe praised the minimal styles of Mick Pedaja and I Wear* Experiment.

Hoppe also added that he enjoyed the weirdness of Meisterjaan’s ‘Parmupillihullus’ with Liiberg approving, stating that “he has balls”.

Vaher agreed with his bandmates but also added that he thought that “Cartoon would go very far too.”

Ultimately the band stays true to their carefree vibe when discussing their expectations of the contest with Hoppe saying “we just see what the world has to offer without expectation. Whatever happens, happens.”

“However,” adds Vaher “we all agree that we’d like to play at the Suurhall in the final”.

After Eesti Laul, The Jingles plan to take it easy and head back into the studio to re-record Love a Little Bit, but this time on vinyl. In general though, their plans are as open and carefree as their Eesti Laul entry, with Flack saying “Life is an interesting thing, and it’s always going to present really cool opportunities so we’re open for anything.”

The Jingles will perform in the Eesti Laul first semi-final on Saturday 13 February.